


Bolstering the Ranks

by magicianlogician12



Series: Riders of the Maelstrom [2]
Category: Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-13
Updated: 2019-04-13
Packaged: 2020-01-12 21:38:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18455105
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magicianlogician12/pseuds/magicianlogician12
Summary: A new addition to the Fifth Fleet's power structure, Lord Aleri Shayn begins building her inner circle.





	Bolstering the Ranks

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter Summary: After proving herself during the skirmish with the Esseles, Aleri is deployed to the Black Talon on a mission, and accomplishes it with an unexpected ally.

Having spent six years in the home of a Sith lord, one might have thought Aleri was used to the stark and imposing quarters they kept. In truth, the only familiar part of any shipboard cabin space on an Imperial vessel was the size. It was not much different than the apartment she and her mother had shared on Coruscant until she was sixteen, but that was where the similarities ended.

An ensign from the bridge had escorted her to her new accommodations while enthusiastically gushing about the report Jenth Squad had given to their fellows in the barracks regarding her dispatching of the Republic boarding party. The two Jedi that she’d killed in less than a minute seemed to be a point of particular interest. Ordinarily she might have reveled in the unusual praise, but today the noise grated on her nerves and she resisted the urge to scold the soldier into silence.

“–then Carmichael said you just,” the ensign cut himself off with a hand motion that was likely meant to mirror her own when using Force lightning, “ _zapped_ one and he froze! On the spot! And you–”

“Thank you, Ensign…” Aleri trailed off and realized she hadn’t asked the ensign’s name, “…what was your name, ensign?”

“Ensign Zare, my lord.” his eyes shone with the kind of boyish glee that came from the naivete of youth. Part of Aleri envied him–she’d never had that luxury. “Anyway, here we are. The grand moff said you could rearrange things however you wanted. Let us know if–”

“Thank you, Ensign Zare, I will.” Aleri stepped within as the ensign palmed a door control, making it clear she was ending the conversation. “Now, I believe you have a post to return to?”

He froze like a gizka in the headlights before turning tail and taking off back down the corridor. Aleri waited until she was certain he was gone, then sealed the door behind her to take in her new environs.

The main room looked like a combination living area and kitchenette, which was convenient–she didn’t particularly care to take her meals with the rest of the Imperials when she knew she would only be gawked at as an oddity.

Her bedroom, adjacent to the living area, had a ‘fresher in a separate room, which may as well have been a luxury accomodation. Her bed was big enough for nearly three people, another luxury. She’d had similar things in Lord Kizel’s estate, but her room there had never been a truly safe place. Not while Teliya and the lord himself still had access to it.

Then again, she didn’t know yet whether  _this_  was a safe space, either.

Closing her eyes, Aleri knelt and reached out with the Force, lowering her senses–sounds became muted, her skin felt numb, and the Force filled the void. Even the most well-hidden bugs couldn’t evade her senses when they were sharpened like this.

Yet, no matter how deeply she reached into herself for the sixth sense the Force provided her, Aleri sensed nothing. Not even a hint of something she might look for with more conventional means.

No bugs.  _That_ was a surprise.

She wasn’t fool enough to believe she wasn’t being monitored, but surveillance systems would be routed through the whole ship anyway for safety reasons. The fact she didn’t have any monitoring devices set to specifically watch  _her_ was unexpected. And  _quite_ interesting.

The grand moff had made it clear that he didn’t trust her reasons for being here, but he didn’t have to–so long as he never learned the truth about why she needed to be assigned on the front lines, far away from Imperial borders, it didn’t matter if he never trusted her.

Relenting at last, Aleri let her bodily senses return to her and remained on the floor, kneeling with her hands resting on her thighs. The fight hadn’t exhausted her, but there  _was_ a kind of fatigue that rested deep in her bones, the kind that made her shoulders sag and her hands clench into fists. Frustration and the kind of lingering pain that emanated from that dark, aching void in her chest refused to let her rise.

Forcefully, Aleri stood and strode towards the second adjacent room to the living area, shaking off her fury, for now. She bottled it up, kept it close at hand. If they were heading into another fight, it would be good fuel.

The second room adjacent to the living area was an office, of sorts, with a desk against the wall and a holographic computer interface hovering above it. A holoterminal in the corner kept her connected to the rest of the ship and the wider galaxy, though the communications coming out of it were doubtless being monitored. Not that she had anyone to call, anyway.

As for the rest of the space, though…there was potential.

An additional desk in the perpendicular corner was merely clutter, and Aleri busied herself with picking it up using a flick of her wrist, channeled with the Force, walking it carefully into the living area and setting it to the side, out of the way until she could arrange to have it either moved to someone else’s quarters or disposed of.

Walking rapidly into the bedroom, she snatched one of the many pillows off the bed and walked back into her office, setting it down in the corner where the desk had been until just a few moments ago. It wasn’t a perfect meditation corner, but it would do until they returned to Imperial space and she could arrange for more appropriate articles to be sent here. Some Sith liked extravagant meditation chambers complete with sound isolation and refreshing chemicals in its atmosphere, or chemicals that were said to enhance performance in Force techniques, but Aleri had never desired such things. A good pillow on the floor for her knees, a few unlit candles that she could light with ambient sparks in the air by channeling her power through them, that was all she needed. The rest came from her mastery of the Force.

And it  _was_ mastery. Both Lord Kizel and Darth Decimus’ overseers on Korriban, who had kept her out of Teliya’s reach, had told her so, and they had no reason to lie for the sake of her pride. If anything, she had been surprised by their honesty. Barring families that already had a lineage within the Empire, latecomers like her were not typically received well, to put it mildly.

She felt the drop in the deck that indicated the ship had exited hyperspace, and almost as if on cue, the holoterminal began to chime. Letting out a tiny sigh, Aleri resigned herself to the fact she wouldn’t be allowed to have some peace and quiet to rearrange her quarters for quite a while yet.

It was the captain. Hands linked at the small of her back, she addressed Aleri, “Lord Shayn, we’re arriving at Vaiken Spacedock. You’re needed to escort the prisoner to the station, for transport to Dromund Kaas. The  _Emperor’s Glory_ will be docked here for several hours, to repair damage incurred during the fight with the  _Esseles_ , so after you return, your time is yours to use as you see fit.”

“Very well.” Aleri bowed her head slightly. “I’ll go to the brig at once.”

“There is one other thing.” Captain Tiamus shifted almost infinitesimally, but Aleri caught it. “The Grand Moff wanted you to pass along your holocom and embedded comlink codes, for use in future missions.”

“Of course.” Aleri had no grand scheme to throw the crew of the  _Emperor’s Glory_  for a loop with her unexpected cooperation, but that seemed to be exactly what was happening. “I’ll send them along now. Was there anything else, Captain?”

Captain Tiamus looked vaguely dazed. “No, thank you, Lord Shayn.” she finally responded. “One of us will contact you if anything changes.”

Her image vanished, and Aleri picked up her doublesaber from where she’d set it on her desk earlier, attaching it to her hip once again. Down in the brig, several Imperial soldiers had prepared the ambassador for transport, and she fixed Aleri with a hateful glare in her lime-green eyes. It rolled off Aleri’s shoulders and she took careful hold of the smaller woman’s upper arm. “Thank you,” she told the attending troopers, “but I’ve got things handled from here.”

“Yes, my lord. We’ll report to the bridge in your absence.” one of the Imperials saluted her, and departed.

Vaiken Spacedock was normally bustling and crowded, but one didn’t march prisoners critical to the Empire’s future in amongst the rest of the Imperial rabble. The small shuttle she was taking from the  _Emperor’s Glory_  docked in an auxiliary hangar on one of the spacedock’s outer spars, and Aleri handed the prisoner off to several waiting guards.

About to step back aboard the shuttle, Aleri’s holocom began to go off, and she picked it up to answer it. Kilran’s image appeared. “Grand Moff,” Aleri canted her head down slightly in lieu of a bow, “what can I do for you?”

“We’ve had a…developing situation.” he looked irritated, brow knit and lip curved down into a scowl. “A vital defector to the Republic was identified as having sought refuge aboard the vessel  _Brentaal Star_ , which was just isolated after a border skirmish some hours ago. As our ship is somewhat incapacitated at the moment, I ordered a smaller and faster vessel to intercept it. Captain Orzik has disobeyed my orders, however.”

Aleri arched a brow. “Does he need the fear of the Emperor put into him?”

“Something to that effect.” his grin was cold and empty, but that was familiar, and Aleri let her shoulders tense in preparation for what she knew would be an imminent fight. “Board the vessel  _Black Talon_ –it’s still docked at the Vaiken Spacedock hangars–and take control of the bridge. A protocol droid aboard will have the  _Brentaal Star_ ’s coordinates.”

“Who is the defector I must retrieve?” Aleri waved at the pilot, indicating he should return to the dreadnought and not wait for her, taking brisk strides into the lift that would take her to Vaiken Spacedock’s atrium.

“His codename is the General. The protocol unit NR-02 will forward you his profile.” Kilran linked his hands behind his back. “By the time you’ve retrieved the General, the ship will be repaired and you will rendezvous with us on Dromund Kaas.”

“Understood.” Aleri activated the turbolift down to Vaiken Spacedock’s main level, and cut off the comm connection, making her way through the throngs of people to the outbound departure hangars.

It wasn’t hard to isolate the  _Black Talon_ ’s berth–she said the vessel’s name to the nearest ship valet, and was pointed in the direction of the appropriate airlock. All things considered, it looked like a normal enough passenger ship, but that hardly made it the ideal vessel with which to board and disable a Republic warship.

Still, this was the hand she’d been dealt, and Aleri would make the best of it.

A woman with dark hair tied in a neat bun and with the kind of uniform that identified her as a lieutenant stood and conversed with two of the internal airlock’s guards, but Aleri didn’t catch the final threads of their conversation before the guards melted away. She turned to engage Aleri, and Aleri straightened her posture to its full effect. “My lord,” the lieutenant greeted her, bowing slightly at the waist, “it’s good to have you aboard. I admit, this sudden change to the passenger manifest is a surprise–you had urgent business on Dromund Kaas?”

“I do have urgent business.” Aleri replied, carefully not specifying  _where_. “And you are?”

“Apologies, my lord–I’m Lieutenant Sylas, the navigational officer for this vessel.” the woman linked both hands behind her back. “I’m sorry the captain was indisposed at the bridge, and couldn’t greet you in person, but I’ll have you informed when we arrive at the Dromund system.”

_Of course he wouldn’t want to see me in person, if he suspects I’ve been sent by the Grand Moff_. “I understand. Thank you, lieutenant.”

“We also received a message that…” Sylas reached for a datapad clipped to her belt to consult some sort of notes on it, and continued, “…your protocol unit NR-02 would be waiting for you in the conference room. I ensured the security seals were active for your privacy.”

“Much appreciated, Lieutenant.” Aleri felt the brief jolt of the ship disengaging from Vaiken Spacedock, knowing her window of time to reach the bridge and depose Captain Orzik’s command before the vessel departed for hyperspace was dwindling. “If you’ll excuse me, I have matters to attend to before we depart.”

Aleri stalked past the lieutenant before she could reply, rapidly turning the corner in the direction of the ship’s conference room–and very nearly crashing directly into another officer, this one wearing a full suit of infantry-grade armor with lieutenant’s bars sloppily painted on one shoulder. Aleri stumbled backwards just as the officer said smoothly, “My apologies, my lord, I didn’t see you. Pardon my clumsiness.”

Mere moments from pushing past the armored lieutenant and snapping that she had somewhere else to be, Aleri stopped and narrowed her eyes instead. This lieutenant, in stark contrast to Lieutenant Sylas, was fully armored and carrying two blasters, clearly combat-ready, and he regarded her with none of the bland, mindless obedience the  _Black Talon_ ’s other crew members did–in fact he watched her with thinly-veiled curiosity, or suspicion; it was difficult for Aleri to tell which while the officer wore his helmet, but his body language conveyed it clearly.

“I’m Lieutenant Laroc, second-in-command of this vessel.” he saluted sharply, voice distorted slightly by the bucket-like helmet preferred by Imperial shock troopers, but his accent was recognizable as a Kaasian one, from Aleri’s limited experience with the Empire’s accent variations. “I’m told your arrival on the ship was a last-minute addition. I trust the crew quarters will suffice for lodging on such short notice?”

“I don’t anticipate needing lodging, thank you.” Aleri kept her guard raised–something about the lieutenant set her on edge. She wasn’t sure if it was the full set of armor he wore, compared to the crisp uniforms sported by the rest of the crew, or that  _he_ hadn’t been the one to receive her, instead of the ship’s  _navigational officer_. “I have business to attend to, and you are keeping me from it. Excuse me.”

“Of course, my lord.” Lieutenant Laroc stepped out of the way, and Aleri strode briskly past him, but felt his gaze on her all the way until she turned the corner, and when she was safely out of sight, looked over her shoulder briefly, as if to make certain she hadn’t been followed.

Someone to keep an eye on, then.

In the conference room, a protocol droid waited, as Kilran had told her, and she told it curtly, “I’m Lord Shayn, here on behalf of the Grand Moff. I was told you had a target briefing for me about the General.”

“That is correct.” NR-02 engaged the nearby holoterminal to show an image of a balding, rotund man in a formal kind of attire, one eye replaced by cybernetic components. “His identity is to remain classified, however he was once a general in the Imperial military, and is thus labeled a high-value target for the Empire to contain.”

“Obviously so.” Aleri muttered, starting a slow pace from one side of the room to another. “What about a briefing on the captain? What is the best angle to work in order to convince him to surrender control of his vessel?”

“Begging your pardon, the  _Black Talon_  is to be captured by force.” NR-02 told her blandly. “Is there anything else?”

“No.” Aleri said at last, deep in thought. “Let’s proceed.”

“Indeed, let’s.” came a voice Aleri faintly recognized, and she spun on her heel, drawing her doublesaber and activating it as she came face-to-face with Lieutenant Laroc. “My lord.”

“What are you doing here?” Aleri demanded, refusing to lower her saber from where it rested perilously close to the lieutenant’s helmet. “You were following me. Why?”

“My lord,” Lieutenant Laroc linked his hands behind his back, seemingly unaffected by the proximity of Aleri’s dualsaber, “I don’t often find myself in the habit of defying direct orders from my superiors, and I’m well aware that Captain Orzik disobeyed the grand moff’s command. I’m also aware that the captain refused to meet you in person, and that, since you are a new quantity in the fleet, the sudden arrival of a Sith to his vessel was enough to engage his wariness–and my own curiosity.” the lieutenant shrugged. “It didn’t take much effort to put two and two together.”

“Where does that leave us, then?” Aleri slowly lowered her doublesaber, but didn’t deactivate it just yet. “If you wanted my plan foiled, you would have simply alerted the captain and had me either killed or removed from the vessel.”

“I may not agree with the methods your droid proposes, since this method means a great deal of Imperial soldiers would die for their captain’s error,” the lieutenant spared a scathing look at NR-02, who did not react, “so I’d rather not like for them to be branded traitors if you’re willing to consider alternative options.”

If there was nothing else Aleri could rely on in this Empire, she thought, it was that each and every person in it was always out for themselves first. That was something she had learned she could use. Lieutenant Laroc defied that expectation, quite staunchly, she might add, but that was something she could use, too.

“And you think that between the two of us we can convince the captain to take his passenger ship into aggressive action against a Republic warship?” Aleri deactivated her doublesaber and attached it to her hip once more, folding her arms skeptically.

“I find it interesting you would rather convince him than kill him.” Lieutenant Laroc remarked idly. “My lord.”

Aleri curled her lip. “Fear is only an effective tool to wield against your enemies. It is wasted and unnecessary on allies. I will kill the captain to accomplish my mission if I must, but I risk turning the rest of the crew against me in the process. It will make it considerably more difficult to survive–and successfully complete–such a mission without their support. So yes, I would prefer convincing the captain to killing him, but I will not shy from what must be done.”

“Time is limited.” NR-02 reminded them. “Our window to intercept the  _Brentaal Star_  is rapidly closing.”

“All right, here’s what I think.” Lieutenant Laroc rested both hands upon armored hips, where twin blasters still rested. “We’re going up to the bridge–I can get you there unobstructed–and then it’ll be on you to convince the captain. I’ll speak if I agree, but it remains to be seen whether I do. The fact you’d prefer talking to the captain regardless at least piques my curiosity.”

“I’m ever so pleased to have your approval.” Aleri told him flatly. “May we go?”

True to his word, Lieutenant Laroc led Aleri through the ship, and the crew cast the pair curious glances, but none of them were curious enough to stop a Sith clearly on a mission–Aleri walked as she had even as a child on Coruscant, navigating a criminal underworld that chewed the weak up and spat them out with no regard to age or size or ability. Her greatest strength, before being Sith, had been the illusion of power, the sheer  _presence_ of her confidence.

Even now, with power teeming at her fingertips, there was something to be said for the effect of raising her chin, setting her shoulders, and walking through the ship like she owned it.

They were stopped at last by another fully-armored soldier, a commando, who told them, “This is the command deck entry hatch, my lord, and the captain has ordered this entrance secured against any intruders.”

“It’s fortunate then, that I am a passenger and not an intruder.” Aleri stared at him evenly, daring him to contradict her. She watched the commando squirm slightly, and felt with an almost tangible intensity the curiosity of Lieutenant Laroc’s gaze. “I have business I would like to discuss with the captain, soldier. I suggest you stand aside before someone gets hurt.”

“Do it, Willems.” Laroc spoke up suddenly, but Aleri kept her gaze trained on the small squad that stood with the commando barring their way, and the control panel keeping the force-field up.

“Sir, this is–” the commando’s face looked pained, but the lieutenant cut across it.

“That was not a suggestion, Corporal.” Laroc’s voice was still calm and controlled, but it held an undeniable current of authority.

A brief standoff followed, but Aleri made a point not to reach for her doublesaber, keeping her hands linked behind her back patiently. Finally the corporal reached slowly for a datapad clipped to his belt and lowered the forcefield with a single gesture, putting it away and standing aside, staring at the deck.

Once again, the lieutenant took point, and Aleri followed him into the command deck elevator. He said nothing, but Aleri still felt as though she’d done the right thing. Perhaps not the most  _efficient_ thing, but it would be considerably harder to take on a Republic warship if she killed all of this ship’s marine complement.

The lift arrived at the command deck, and the lieutenant led the way until the final hatch opened to reveal the bridge crew, hard at work–many of them didn’t even look up from their consoles until Aleri and the lieutenant ascended the steps to the ship’s front viewport, at which point many of them performed textbook double-takes.

No one was more surprised, however, than Captain Orzik, who turned around, face draining immediately of color. Lieutenant Sylas approached as well and regarded the confrontation with a thinly-veiled interest. First, the captain’s gaze zeroed in on Lieutenant Laroc, who hadn’t budged from where he stood just behind Aleri, hands linked behind his back. “Lieutenant, what is the meaning of this?”

“Sir, I think both of us are aware we will either be punished now for defying the orders of our superiors, or later,” Laroc began, “regardless if you claim full responsibility or not. I imagine our Sith guest has something to say on that topic.”

He turned to Aleri with a tiny nod, and Aleri took that as her cue to make her pitch to Captain Orzik. She took a few more steps forward for emphasis and watched the officers almost imperceptibly lean away from her. “Understand this, Captain–I don’t want to kill you, but blind disobedience without consequences cannot be tolerated.” Aleri linked her arms behind her back. “I have my orders, and you have yours, and while this is hardly the ideal vessel for our mission parameters, we work with the resources we have–we play the hand we’re dealt.”

“Even when it is a hand with vast disadvantages?” Captain Orzik raised one brow, but he wasn’t outright denying her yet. Aleri pushed harder.

“Even so.” Aleri confirmed, nodding her head once. “Because a losing hand can still utilize a few tricks up its sleeve. The  _Brentaal Star_  is a single warship with a limited crew complement, and you have a lord of the Sith on your vessel, as well as all the power that entails. I  _will_ defend your ship, Captain, and the people aboard, to the best of my ability–I only ask in return you give me the chance to fulfill our mission, for both our sakes. You will not receive a more lenient offer.”

Captain Orzik held Aleri’s gaze for a long moment before turning back to the  _Talon_ ’s front viewport, watching the field of stars change as they approached their intended hyperspace route. One of the bridge ensigns, a woman with short red hair, spoke up, “Sir, we’re approaching our departure point for Dromund Kaas in two minutes.”

With a heavy release of breath, the captain turned to face Aleri again, whose gaze remained even and steady. “Very well,” he said tiredly, rubbing his face in one hand, “you’ll have your vessel for the mission at hand, my lord.”

“Downloading new orders to all bridge consoles. Priority one: intercept the  _Brentaal Star._ ” NR-02’s voice intoned, and the bridge ensigns rushed to follow their new instructions, aided where necessary by the captain and Lieutenant Sylas. Lieutenant Laroc stepped in once or twice, but Aleri noted he didn’t particularly have the sort of clout or authority one might have expected from the second-in-command of a ship.

As the  _Black Talon_  departed for hyperspace, Aleri checked briefly with the red-haired ensign–Ensign Brukarra, she’d introduced herself curtly, but politely–who told her that the ship would be in hyperspace for approximately a half hour before arriving at the  _Brentaal Star_ ’s last known coordinates. Plenty of time to do some light reading.

Taking her datapad down to the main shuttle bay, Aleri found a small and somewhat out-of-the-way spot to access Imperial personnel records, and located Lieutenant Laroc’s file by cross-referencing his surname with the name of this ship. She could admit this much: she was curious about the lieutenant who had no qualms standing up to an angry lord of the Sith and yet seemingly had few responsibilities aboard the ship befitting a second-in-command.

She had her answer in short order: there was more black ink and censorship over his prior service record than Aleri had ever seen on a personnel file before–not that she’d seen many since her appointment as Lord Shayn, but enough to know that this was certainly unusual. In fact, the only noteworthy detail Aleri could access was that he was former Imperial Intelligence, and they weren’t exactly known for letting their people go lightly–dead or alive.

Closing the file, Aleri drummed her fingers over the edge of her datapad for several seconds before entering another name, but didn’t press the ‘search’ key just yet:  _Teliya Shayn_.

With a sharp, frustrated sound, Aleri shut down the screen and pocketed her datapad before she became tempted to pull it out again. She would not succumb to her paranoia. If Teliya wanted to waste her resources hunting up and down the galaxy for a ‘rival’ who had no interest in the power she now wielded, that was only a loss for Teliya, not Aleri.

“Trouble, my lord?”

Aleri didn’t have to turn her head to see Lieutenant Laroc at the corner of her eye, but she glanced around anyway, despite the unusually casual position she’d adopted, sitting across two vacant crates in the docking bay. He was taller than her like this, but did not stand over her.

“No.” Aleri finally replied, turning again to watch the docking bay crew go about their business. “Am I needed on the bridge?”

“We’ll reach the  _Brentaal Star_ ’s coordinates shortly, but the captain said he could handle our arrival preparations.” Laroc followed Aleri’s gaze, out to where the bay crew prepared a shuttle, likely for to attempt boarding the  _Star_ when they arrived. “You’ve surprised me, my lord.”

“I’m noticing that is a regular habit when I interact with Imperials.”

“May I ask you something?”

“You may.” Aleri turned again to gauge the lieutenant’s body language. “Though I cannot promise an answer.”

Much to her surprise, Laroc reached up for his helmet seals and disengaged them, revealing a sharp-cheeked face weathered by stress and a head of close-cropped dark brown hair that had specks of gray scattered throughout. “Any other Sith might have gladly killed the captain and commandeered his crew. Even when you said you preferred alternate options, I suppose I didn’t think I expected you to follow through with it. I have to ask, my lord: would you have killed the captain, if he’d refused your terms?”

“Yes.” Aleri told him without hesitation, but paused before adding, “Though I was prepared to debate the matter further if he had not capitulated right then. I will do whatever I must to achieve my goals, but I don’t care to make enemies of those who might be under my command. I told you before: fear is only an effective tool to use against one’s enemies.”

Aleri felt in that moment that Laroc was weighing up her response for honesty, but she didn’t look away while his fingers drummed over the surface of his helmet, still held in his hands. At last, he reached up to place it back on his head; the seals clicked and hissed as he said, “I’d like very much to believe you, my lord.”

Part of Aleri wanted to ask what he’d meant by that, but the deck briefly shivered as the ship exited hyperspace, and Aleri had a feeling they wouldn’t have time for much more conversation.

Laroc pressed one finger to the side of his helmet, apparently listening to something, then something in his posture changed, and he turned to Aleri to say, “Orzik is picking up approaching boarding pods, and he’ll attempt to keep them at distance. We ought to–”

With a sound of metal shearing against metal, and a sudden shift in the deck, a shuttle in the same style as most Republic models came careening into the hangar at top speed, slamming into one side of the hangar bay and exploding into bright, fiery fragments. Aleri’s montrals throbbed with the sudden change of noise, but she blocked the pain out. “Are they mad?” she demanded, half incredulous and half concerned that the  _Brentaal Star_  had been ready enough to deploy boarding craft so soon after their arrival. “Trying to board while the ship is evading?”

“I don’t believe they intended to.” Laroc drew both his pistols and checked them. “That was a landing approach–they were going to try and take the hangar and secure it.”

“ _Attention, all hands_ ,” came the digital, monotone voice from the ship’s speakers, “ _prepare to repel boarders. Attention, all hands. Prepare to repel boarders_.”

“My lord?” Laroc watched Aleri as her gaze darted between the Imperial boarding shuttle, sitting ready on its landing struts, seemingly unharmed by the Republic shuttle’s dramatic entrance, and the source of the intercom’s voice. “What would you have us do?”

It was another test, but Aleri knew there was only one thing  _to_ do, really: even if she got their prisoner in hand, she couldn’t very well lose the  _Talon_  as their only method of escape. “Find the highest concentration of resistance, and I will handle that myself. Send what marines this ship has to the more vital areas if they haven’t already been secured.”

Laroc listened in his earpiece, then twisted a small dial on his helmet. “Engineering was hit the hardest–sabotage droids are attempting to overload the ship reactor. All decks are reporting damage from boarding pods.”

“Then we will have to move swiftly.” Aleri arched a brow. “If you’re with me, Lieutenant?”

Laroc straightened, glanced out towards the Imperial shuttle, waiting patiently on the deck, once more, then nodded decisively. “Lead the way, my lord.”

* * *

Defending the  _Black Talon_  was very different than defending the  _Emperor’s Glory_.

Aboard the  _Glory_ , Aleri had the advantage of extra backup that could intercept enemy forces and hold the line before her arrival. She had the advantage of her enemies potentially getting lost in the much bigger ship’s winding corridors, and the advantage of schematics that allowed her to navigate them with little difficulty herself.

The  _Talon_ , as Aleri had known at the beginning of this mission, was only a small passenger ship, with a very limited contingent of Imperial marines for protection–they were not equipped for a pitched battle, not skilled enough or numerous enough to really deter the Republic boarding droids’ progress on their own, and they didn’t have the time to waste for Aleri to cut off the enemy troops with devious executions of stealth: head-on was the only way she could solve this with the least casualties.

Laroc proved that he didn’t wear shock-troop-grade armor and carry heavy-duty blasters for show–he followed where Aleri led throughout the ship, and he pointed out shortcuts where they became applicable. Their approach to the engineering compartment was made through a maintenance duct, out of sight of the nearby sabotage droids.

It was tighter quarters than Aleri expected, dragging herself along on her stomach with her dualsaber in her main hand while trying to avoid bumping her montrals on the ceiling, but she couldn’t argue with the obvious advantage of dropping right onto their enemies’ heads.

“Just below us, my lord.” Laroc told her, voice distorted slightly by his helmet. “This is a good place to drop down.”

The hatch just in front of her was stuck, but that would hardly stop her now–clenching her fist tightly and channeling the necessary power, the bolts keeping the hatch secure squealed and snapped, dropping the metal plate to the floor below. Aleri slid out first and landed neatly on both feet–right in the midst of a  _very_ large group of sabotage droids.

Igniting her dualsaber, Aleri swept it around in a vicious arc, dispatching three of the droids, and sending the rest hurtling away with a swift Force shove. Laroc dropped down behind her and finished off the last with a burst of blaster fire.

Step by step, Aleri and Laroc cleared the droids from engineering, and when the last had been struck down, the  _Talon_ ’s remaining marines came in after them to secure it–just in time for the intercom to crackle to life. “My lord, Lieutenant Laroc,” Captain Orzik’s voice emerged, still steady enough Aleri wasn’t concerned they were in immediate danger of losing the ship, but certainly stressed enough she knew something was about to change, “you’re needed on the bridge as soon as possible.”

“We’re on our way.” Laroc replied, and gestured for Aleri to follow him back down the ship’s main corridor, where the command deck elevator waited–likely one of the few elevators on the  _Talon_ that still worked. “I doubt the ship can hold together much longer,” he commented to Aleri as the elevator rapidly ascended.

She made a vaguely affirmative noise in response, but changed the subject. “You fight very well for someone stationed on a small passenger vessel. I’m surprised you haven’t been approached by a more prestigious unit.”

Aleri felt the moment Laroc raised his guard, a subtle straightening of his posture that immediately put distance between them, despite the elevator’s limited room. “This post suits me well enough, my lord.”

A touchy subject, then. Unsurprising, considering how much of his file was restricted. Aleri withdrew. “Of course. I didn’t intend to imply otherwise.”

They walked briskly in silence until they reached the bridge, and as soon as Aleri set foot within, she sensed the ambient tension. There was an unsteadiness in the deck beneath her feet that said the ship’s main structural components couldn’t stand up to much more punishment. Captain Orzik turned to greet her and Laroc as they climbed the final steps to the  _Talon_ ’s viewport. “My lord, lieutenant–we’re holding together, for the moment, and have launched our first wave of fighters.”

“We won’t be holding together for long.” Aleri said flatly, but quietly enough the bridge ensigns wouldn’t be able to hear her. At normal volume, she continued, “We have to end this before the ship sustains much more damage. Is the main hangar still operational?”

“Yes, my lord.” Ensign Brukarra spoke up from her station, and their heads turned to her. “Your shuttle is still docked and only sustained minor damage from the fighting there.”

“Good enough.” Aleri declared. “I’m going now–break off if you must in order to save the ship. I will call when it’s safe to extract myself and the prisoner.”

“You’re certainly not going alone.” Laroc shook his head. “Not against an entire Republic warship. I will accompany you.”

“We’ll send the remaining marines, as well.” Brukarra volunteered, only reluctantly, but Aleri didn’t call attention to it. “The ship is secure from boarders, for now, and if we withdraw while you’re away, it’s doubtful they’ll be able to pursue.”

“This course of action is deemed advisable.” NR-02 contributed from where the droid stood, out of the way of the bridge crew, but very clearly observing their movements. Aleri watched Brukarra’s eyes stray toward the droid for a split second before refocusing on Aleri.

“Very well, then.” Aleri checked her dualsaber was ready, and met the gaze of each person in the bridge crew. “Let’s finish this mission.”

The shuttle they took was, as Ensign Brukarra promised, mostly operational after the altercations throughout the hangar bay. They didn’t have time to repair it, but the pilot assured Aleri it would survive a trip to the  _Star_ and then back to the  _Talon_. Crammed full of the  _Talon_ ’s remaining marines, there was barely enough room for Aleri and Laroc to stand, much less sit, as the shuttle rumbled and swayed in the inky void between ships.

The  _Brentaal Star_ ’s single open hangar bay didn’t provide much of a target for landing, but their pilot made do with the available space–Aleri heard the sound of blaster fire hitting the hull before they even stepped out, and she heard the lieutenant snap, “Protect the shuttle at all costs!”

Most of the  _Talon_ ’s remaining marines fanned out to do just that, but Aleri didn’t plan to wait for them–she drew her saber and charged forward, the sound of Laroc’s blasters behind her reassuring her that she would be covered as she moved.

Traversing the  _Star_ ’s decks presented Aleri with a revelation she hadn’t even thought about until now–despite having spent the first sixteen years of her life in Republic space, she had never been aboard one of their ships. That sort of information would have certainly proved useful right about then, but reminiscing was useless here.

Aleri paused as Laroc seemed to be listening to something in his earpiece, then shook his head and told her, “An update from NR-02: they’re trying to get the General to the escape pods. We can’t send any of our people to cut them off.”

“We’re not far.” Aleri picked up her pace as she said it, and to his credit, Laroc kept up with her effortlessly. “We can stop them.”

At the doorway leading to the escape pod access area, Aleri pressed the control to open it, and its components began to whir, the green light flashing in preparation to disengage–

–but then the whirring turned into a deep groaning sound, deep in its mechanisms, that said something was turning them  _back_.

“My lord?” Laroc glanced over at her, anticipation turning to confusion.

She shook her head a little, torn between amusement and frustration. “It seems we will have one more major obstacle to overcome before this mission’s complete, after all. Stand clear.”

Slowly, Laroc took several steps back from the door, and Aleri reached out with both hands, feeling her power, held just barely in check, rush to her call. She felt for the doorway’s internal components, weakened by being forcefully turned to stall her advance, and twisted them, breaking them from within. Metal sheared against metal with a violent screech, and the door fell apart into pieces on the deck, scattered fragments of it falling across the room.

At its center, a young Twi’lek woman in Jedi garb waited for them. At the end of the room, Aleri spotted their target, stumbling unsteadily in the direction of the escape pods. There was nothing for it–she wouldn’t be able to capture him without removing the Jedi first.

“Halt!” she called across to Aleri and Laroc as they strode to the center of the room, drawing a lightsaber and igniting it with a flash of green. “I am Yadira Ban, padawan of the Jedi Order. I was sent to protect the General, and I will  _not_ allow you to pass.”

A kind of incredulous amusement bubbled up in Aleri’s chest, and she couldn’t restrain some kind of half-choked chuckle. “You? A padawan, sent to protect a vital defector to the Republic?”

The padawan didn’t flinch, though for all intents and purposes, she was staring death in the face. “That, more than anything, should tell you how powerful a Jedi I really am.”

“No.” Aleri shook her head, and drew her saber, but didn’t activate it yet. “It tells me the Republic is desperate, and that is far more valuable to me than your empty bravado.”

Both padawan and Sith charged simultaneously, and Aleri let herself be put on the defensive–it was where she thrived in any duel, something that had surprised not only Lord Kizel Shayn, but Darth Decimus’ overseers on Korriban. While such a strategy typically worked best with at least one other person, Aleri knew this much–she had survived for so many years in so many harsh places by knowing when to defend rather than lash out. Perhaps it was only fitting the Force graced her with those same gifts.

She would give the padawan this, however: for all her confidence, she was no pushover. Aleri had dueled with other Sith many times before, but had not faced a Jedi in the flesh until dispatching the  _Glory_ ’s boarding party. She’d had the element of surprise, then, in a way she definitely didn’t now. Laroc, at least, provided some much-needed relief every few moments that allowed Aleri to reset her footing and solidify her stance.

Yadira, perhaps losing patience with his interruptions, turned to engage Laroc, and she closed the gap far too fast for him to really defend himself, with the sort of weapons he favored. Teeth gritted, Aleri reached out and yanked Yadira backwards, dropping her on the floor. She rose and recovered, far more quickly than Aleri had been expecting, and she hastily projected a Force ward at the same time Yadira’s lightsaber swung in a swift diagonal arc, but her haste cost the ward some of its power–the green lightsaber blade passed through the ward and left a burning score on one section of Aleri’s ribs.

Biting her lip against a scream, Aleri shoved the padawan backwards with a decisive Force push, unbalancing her long enough to close the distance between them and swing her dualsaber in a brutal finishing strike. With a final shocked gasp, the padawan fell backwards to the dec, and lay still.

Her ribs burned, but Aleri knew it would have to be dealt with after the mission. “Lieutenant?” she turned, but he was already approaching her. “Are you injured?”

“No, thank you.” he was pulling something from his belt, a small canister–kolto, Aleri realized belatedly–and held it out to her. “But it seems as though you might need this.”

“I can deal with it after the mission.” Aleri dismissed him, but reached out and took the canister anyway when his look, even from within his helmet, turned pointed. “We’ve lost enough time here as it is.”

Taking point, Laroc picked off the few Republic soldiers standing between them and the escape pods, with Aleri trailing behind to deliver vicious shocks of Force lightning where necessary. At the end of it all stood their target, the very same from NR-02’s original briefing, one blood-covered hand pressed to his side.

He grunted slightly as Aleri and Laroc approached, and made a dismissive hand gesture with his free hand. “You can put aside your weapons–I doubt I’ll be able to run with this injury.”

“It’s not fatal, my lord.” Laroc interjected, and Aleri nodded in acknowledgement. “Painful, but not fatal.”

“You were caught in the ship’s attack, then.” it was obvious enough, but Aleri would’ve liked the confirmation for the report she’d no doubt be asked to write about the mission.

“Unluckily, yes. Though I suppose luck has never truly been on my side this mission.” the General coughed, and stumbled slightly. “Did they even tell you who I am?”

“You were a general in the Imperial military.” Aleri recited from her initial briefing. “Who defected to the Republic. You’re a traitor, and that’s all I need to know.”

He coughed again. “Never that simple–not if you knew what I knew, the ways the Republic and Empire plan to tear one another apart.”

“And you think that by leaving you’ll somehow make things better?” Aleri raised a brow. “The Empire is far from perfect, I know this well, but it cannot be made better if its people abandon it.”

She heard the footsteps behind her that announced the arrival of the  _Talon_ ’s final squad of marines, and turned to Laroc. “Have them take the General into custody. We’ll bring him back to Dromund Kaas with us.”

Laroc saluted and issued the order to the rest of the squad as Aleri limped painfully into the next room, where a comm terminal waited. She hailed the  _Black Talon_ , just out of shipboard weapons reach, and Captain Orzik’s image appeared, fuzzy and indistinct. “My lord–I assume the mission was a success?”

“We’re returning to the  _Talon_ shortly.” Aleri reported, doing her best to stand as straight as possible to not betray her injury, though it was beginning to throb in earnest now. “Prepare a holding cell for the General, and a medic–he was wounded in the ship’s attack.”

“I’ll see it done, my lord–we’ll see you back on the ship shortly.” Orzik finished, and his image vanished. Some of the steel left Aleri’s posture as she resisted the urge to rub the lightsaber burn, knowing the touch would only make it more painful.

Laroc came up beside her, and the squad of Imperial troops carefully escorted the General past them. When they were out of earshot, Laroc said innocently, “Perhaps you’d like to lean on my shoulder on the way back, my lord?”

Opening her mouth to snap something in retaliation, Aleri paused and realized he’d been joking with her, which was surprising for a variety of reasons. She snorted. “I wouldn’t recommend pushing your luck, Lieutenant.”

He kept pace with her as they walked, though, and once they arrived on the shuttle, pointed discreetly at the kolto canister Aleri had stored on her belt, hoping Laroc would forget he’d given it to her. With a faint sigh of exasperation, she sprayed it on the wound, even through her tunic, and felt marginally better.

On the  _Black Talon_ ’s bridge, Captain Orzik and Lieutenant Sylas turned as one, and Orzik said, “Welcome back, my lord. The General is being tended to and secured in the brig. NR-02 has sent a report to the Grand Moff.”

“Then the command is yours again, Captain.” Aleri nodded her head towards him. “Take us to Dromund Kaas.”

They slipped seamlessly into hyperspace, and Aleri didn’t fight the burst of satisfaction in her chest, bright and clear, as she turned and headed for the  _Talon_ ’s main elevator. Laroc turned and walked with her. “I hope you’re planning on having your burn checked, my lord.”

“Do you make a habit of mothering every Sith who sets foot upon this vessel?” Aleri narrowed her eyes.

“Sith, in my experience, are not typically receptive to mothering behaviors.” Laroc remarked, reaching up to remove his helmet again, carrying it under one arm. “Perhaps I find myself intrigued by a Sith who would risk injury to herself in order to defend someone else.”

“That’s not–I didn’t–” Aleri thought back to their fight with the padawan Yadira, and remembered the moment she’d broken off her duel with Aleri to target Laroc, and without thinking, Aleri had yanked the padawan back, and suffered the single burn mark for it. “It was an inconsequential injury. I’ve dealt with worse.”

“It may be inconsequential to you, my lord,” Laroc told her mildly as he directed them through the  _Talon_ ’s decks, “but it matters a great deal to me.”

“Would that have anything to do with your largely-obscured file?” Aleri asked mildly as they approached the medbay, which was apparently where he’d been guiding them all along.

Rather than immediately deflect, as he had the first time Aleri brought the topic of his deployment up, he stopped with her at the entrance to the medbay and said, “In a way, yes, I’ll grant you that. I’ve worked with enough Sith that what you’ve done is…interesting to me, my lord. To say the least.”

A harried medic walked briskly up to them and addressed Laroc, “Lieutenant, I’ll need you to leave my medbay if you’re only here to keep me from getting work done.”

As Aleri was shuffled quickly to an examination bench, Laroc turned and disappeared, but Aleri was still left with the easy satisfaction that settled in her chest. A mission complete, almost unscathed, would do wonders for her reputation aboard the Glory.

And, evidently, it might earn her an ally or two, as well.


End file.
